Volvo electric trucks go underground

The Swedish mining group Boliden will become one of the first in the world to start using battery-electric trucks for heavy underground transport, starting this year.

In mining environments, electric trucks can deliver several big advantages – including no exhaust emissions, a safer workplace, and quieter working conditions.

The mining industry is going through a period of rapid change, with many players shifting to more sustainable production methods to provide metals with a lower climate footprint. Just like in many other mines, exhaust gases from diesel vehicles are responsible for the majority of the carbon dioxide emissions from Boliden’s mines.

The company is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, and says that electrification of transport will play a critical role in achieving this.

The new cooperation agreement between Boliden and Volvo Trucks means that two heavy, electric Volvo trucks will be used in Boliden’s Kankberg mine in northern Sweden.

If all trucks in the mine were to be electric, the CO2 emissions from the mine could be reduced by more than 25 per cent.

“This is an exciting collaboration in an environment with very tough demands: steep slopes, heavy loads and humid air that wears on the vehicles,” says Jessica Lindholm, Project Manager at Volvo Trucks.

“The collaboration with Boliden will give us valuable knowledge about the performance of electric trucks when driven underground, and provide answers to questions about how the driveline and batteries are affected,” she added.

The first truck to serve the Kankberg mine, a Volvo FH Electric, will be used to transport rock bolts and other equipment down into the mine and will be put into service in 2023. Based on the experience with the first truck, another Volvo FH Electric will later be put into operation and used for underground transport of rock and ore.

Volvo says its electric trucks can cover many different transport needs, ranging from urban distribution and refuse disposal to regional transport and construction. Volvo’s goal is that 50 per cent of its new trucks sold from 2030 should be electric.